The Cinderella Hoedown Read online

“Just trust me,” said Jeff. “Call it shifter magic.”

  “Shifter magic?” asked Kelly.

  “We have our ways of doing things,” said Jeff. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” asked Kelly.

  “I think you just did,” teased Jeff.

  “I mean, can I ask you a question about being a shifter?” asked Kelly.

  “Just one question?” asked Jeff. “Heck, if there were only one question you were curious about, about shifters, I’d want to know what it is, because it’s sure to be a good one.”

  “Okay, I have…a few questions,” admitted Kelly.

  “Shoot,” said Jeff, making finger guns at Kelly. He had a way of putting her at ease, even after she managed to put her foot in her mouth.

  “What’s it like, being a shifter?” asked Kelly.

  “A lot of people will ask you in turn, ‘what’s it like being human?’,” said Jeff. “But…I got my shift early. At sixteen. My clan turns early. So I remember when I stopped being what you’d call human, and became a shifter.”

  “Did you consider yourself a human before getting your shift?” asked Kelly.

  “It depends,” said Jeff. “Regarding my capabilities, my powers? Yes. But concerning my culture? No. Even if I’d never gotten a shift…I think I’d still consider myself a shifter.”

  Jeff and Kelly talked about the magical world of shifters until they neared a wooden post and board fence that still looked new. There was a gate with a simple latch. A town like Fallowedirt didn’t have much need for fancy high-tech security systems. Past the entrance was a white gazebo surrounded by a meadow that had bloomed in the middle of the pasture.

  “You wanna do something fun?” asked Jeff.

  “Always,” said Kelly.

  “Ever jumped a fence on horseback?” asked Jeff.

  “No frikkin’ way,” said Kelly. “You think I can handle that?”

  “I know you can…but if you want, I can just open the gate for you,” said Jeff.

  “What do I do?” asked Kelly.

  “Just trust the horses,” said Jeff.

  “Well, I trust you,” said Kelly.

  “And I trust the horses, so I guess that means you must trust the horses,” said Jeff. “Watch. I’ll go first.”

  Jeff’s horse, as if by magic, backed up, approaching the fence at a light trot before making the mid-sized leap over the three-foot fence.

  “See? Easy,” said Jeff. “Don’t worry: if you fall, I’ll catch you.”

  “I’ll do it,” said Kelly, and before she could back out, her horse did what Jeff’s horse had done! It backed up, went into a light trot, and then, jumped over the three-foot fence. Kelly was holding on for dear life, but the jump was low and not that bad at all.

  “Oh, was that it?” asked Kelly, as Jeff helped her off the horse.

  “Not for the date,” said Jeff. “The best is yet to come. Boys, I trust you’ll be back later to pick us up?”

  The horses nodded before they galloped off.

  “Boys?” asked Kelly. “Why do I have a feeling that those weren’t ordinary horses?”

  “I may or may not have recruited some of our resident horse shifters to help make this date special,” said Jeff.

  “And by ‘may or may not’…you mean ‘may,’ right?” asked Kelly.

  “Hey, if being an overly romantic, sentimental cowboy who wants to see a gorgeous gal’s face light up as she rides on a horse like a princess is a crime, lock me the fuck up,” said Jeff.

  “Language, cowboy,” said Kelly.

  “Save the grammar lesson ‘til after grub,” said Jeff, taking Kelly by the hand, walking her toward the white gazebo.

  Chapter Four

  Kelly couldn’t believe how perfect the date was. Jeff had managed to work some ‘shifter magic’ and have someone set up a plaid blanket and picnic basket filled with piping hot food and icy beverages in the white gazebo.

  Kelly popped the tab on her cola. “You did this all on your own?” She stretched out, letting her feet breathe. Jeff had spotted in an instant that her cowboy boots weren’t made for riding and insisted she take her shoes off once they reached the gazebo.

  “With a little help from my ‘magic,’” said Jeff, wiggling his fingers. “All they had to do was pack the picnic basket and bring it here.”

  “What about the cooking?” asked Kelly.

  “I rustled up all the grub before heading into town,” said Jeff. “Had one of my lil’ helpers follow the cooking directions, then parcel it all into this here picnic basket.”

  “So not only did you pick me a bouquet of dew-kissed meadow blossoms, but you also managed to cook up a cowboy feast, go into town with a pair of horse shifters in their shift, pick me up, and get me here, where the perfect date was set up?” asked Kelly, looking over the now empty containers for food. The spread had consisted of one-hundred-percent rural Texas comfort food. There were mashed potatoes with flecks of bacon and a brown beef gravy, and there was fluffy, buttery cornbread, but those were comfort foods across America. It was the buttermilk chicken fried steak with salt and pepper, the San Antonio-style brisket tacos that Kelly had tried once at the state fair, that made this spread that was truly Texan. Of course, cola and sweet tea, extra sugar, were the perfect pairing for the night.

  “Is it a perfect date?” asked Jeff.

  “I got to ride a horse with a cowboy and eat some delicious grub, all while learning more about shifters,” said Kelly. “So far…nine out of ten.”

  “Nine out of ten?” asked Jeff. “Whatever could I do to raise that rating?”

  “That’s going to depend on what you have planned for dessert?” asked Kelly.

  For a second, Jeff’s eyes went wide.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Kelly.

  “I knew I forgot something,” said Jeff.

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Kelly with a giggle before running her hand down Jeff’s broad chest. “I’m sure you and I could manage to rustle up something sweet.”

  “Something…hot?” asked Jeff, putting his hand on Kelly’s shoulder and rolling her over so he was on his back and she was straddling his waist.

  Kelly’s curvy legs felt spread out by Jeff’s thick, broad torso. Shifter men stood out in a crowd due to their larger than average height and musculature. Jeff stood out even among other shifters, with big, firm arms that looked like they could tear a log in two with ease. Kelly ran her fingers over the fuzzy flannel, her fingertips lightly pressing through the fabric against Jeff’s taut skin.

  “Let me guess…you want to see more?” asked Jeff, moving his hand to his shirt collar and unbuttoning the top two buttons, exposing a chest covered in a thick layer of hair. Kelly wondered if the hair was the same color as his shift’s fur.

  “Of course I want to see more,” said Kelly, but before she could undo another button on Jeff’s shirt, he took her hand in his. With his other hand, he reached around to her back and pulled her close.

  “You’re going to have to control yourself,” Jeff whispered into Kelly’s ear. “Otherwise, you might end up begging me to control you.”

  Kelly’s cheeks burned with desire. She’d never expected to hear Jeff, of all her suitors, use that kind of language with her. What he said wasn’t filthy, wasn’t naughty, wasn’t something that’d get censored with a black marker by a frowning librarian, but it was erotic.

  Before Kelly could come up with a reply, Jeff brushed his lips against her cheek. She closed her eyes, focused on the sensation of his mouth on her skin as the hand he had used to grip her hand loosened its hold and started to explore her bountiful curves. His lips felt soft at first, but Kelly could feel they had a texture. The rough and tumble cowboy had put on a lip balm for lil’ ol’ her? Well, that meant this was a special occasion.

  Kelly moved her face to meet Jeff’s lips, but Jeff moved one of his hands up to her chin and tilted her face up slightly so that he could explore the curve of her neck
with his mouth. He pressed his mouth up against the soft skin and sucked it into his mouth. As he took Kelly’s soft flesh into his mouth, Kelly’s mouth let out a moan she couldn’t contain. Jeff swirled his tongue around the skin, gently biting it before letting it go.

  “Didn’t quite plan on branding you tonight,” said Jeff, rubbing over the wet spot with his thumb. “Lot of strange things happening this week, now aren’t there?”

  “Strange is good,” said Kelly.

  “Maybe the strangest thing of all is how natural this feels,” said Jeff, pushing a lock of Kelly’s hair from the front of her shoulder to the spot behind the curve of her ear. “You ever feel like…”

  “…You were just meant to meet someone?” asked Kelly.

  “We have a word for that,” said Jeff.

  “Cowboys?” asked Kelly.

  “Shifters,” said Jeff. “We call it Fate. And trust me…I know believing in this thing you can’t see, well, it’s hard, but like the Texas wind rollin’ through the prairie, like the feeling of a meadow beneath my bear’s paws, I can feel it. I can believe what I can feel, but what I’m feeling with you? Well, now…that’s downright unbelievable.”

  “Then take this to the next level,” said Kelly. “Show me something you know will make me start believin’ in that good ol’ shifter magic.” Kelly reached down to Jeff and pressed her lips to the cowboy’s stubbly cheeks. She inhaled and smelled the scent of a spicy men’s cologne covering the scent of hay, of the man’s natural musk, and in there, she swore she could scent out the soft essence of a Texan meadow.

  “I want you, so badly,” said Jeff, feeling Kelly under his hands. His bear roared, told him to push this further, to go with what Kelly wanted…but the man had power over his beast and could silence it without even talking.

  “I want you, too,” said Kelly, starting to unzip Jeff’s pants, but then, she felt a firm but gentle hand on her wrist. Jeff was pushing her hand away, so she put her hand back to her side and dismounted, sitting on the blanket again.

  “I…I have to stop,” said Jeff, sitting up and brushing himself up.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Kelly.

  “You’re perfect,” said Jeff.

  “But…?” asked Kelly.

  “But nothing,” said Jeff. “You’re perfect, Kelly. I’m not going to go further with you until we’re in the right place, at the right time. I want my first time with you to be as perfect as you are.”

  “From anyone else, I’d say that’s a load of corny hogwash with extra corn, but you…well, you’re the one guy I can see feeling that,” said Kelly, standing up from the gazebo floor and brushing the thin layer of dust off of her skirt.

  “You’re not mad?” asked Jeff.

  “No,” said Kelly. “I’m surprised. But, lucky for you, I like being surprised, cowboy.”

  “No way,” said Savina, on the phone with Kelly while she lay back on a velvet chaise at the Mesquite Manor.

  “Yes way,” said Kelly, talking to Savina via her wireless headset while she cleaned house. After all, who knew when she might next have a certain kind of visitor?

  “So you’re telling me you had a hot werebear who thinks you’re perfect, just so perfect, absolutely perfect,” started Savina.

  “We get it, he said I was perfect, jeez, I wish I hadn’t shared that part with you now!” said Kelly with a laugh.

  “Okay, okay. So, you have this guy who thinks you’re—” started Savina.

  “Don’t say it!” said Kelly.

  “…Who thinks you’re fabulous, and he was the one who decided not to claim you as his fated mate, right then and there?” asked Savina.

  “Isn’t that a little too much for a first date?” asked Kelly.

  “You have no clue how the fated mate process works, do you?” asked Savina, rubbing her forehead before taking another sip of her green juice. “So you’re telling me this date went perfectly?”

  “Well, with one hitch,” admitted Kelly.

  “Oh? Does he have skeletons in the closet? Mommy issues? Is he a commitment-phobe?” asked Savina.

  “No, it’s so dumb that I don’t want to admit it,” said Kelly.

  “You can’t just leave me hanging!” said Savina.

  “I…lost one of my shoes,” said Kelly.

  “You…what?” asked Savina.

  “I lost one of my cowboy boots!” said Kelly. “They’re pinchy, I don’t like them much, but darn it, I don’t like losing stuff.”

  “Don’t be surprised if Jeff plans some Cinderella-themed second date for you, then,” said Savina. “Your cowboy as a charming prince…now that, I’d like to see.”

  “Speak for yourself,” said Kelly. “What I want to see is my missing shoe!”

  Chapter Five

  Kelly had felt a real connection with Jeff, but she had to remind herself that it was because she’d had her first real date with Jeff already. She still had to give Tom a chance, even though she was sure she’d be picking Jeff. What hurt could one date cause?

  “The only thing that can hurt your chances of being with either of these bears is that outfit,” said Savina, looking over Kelly, who had finished venting about her quandary. “Let’s get this fixed.”

  Savina got up and went through her closet of pre-maternity clothes. Luckily for Kelly, they were the same clothing size, although, with different shoe sizes, Kelly had had to bring own pair of heels to the Mesquite Manor for her makeover.

  “You weren’t this much of a girly girl before you got married,” said Kelly.

  “There’s not much else for me to do in my current state,” said Savina. “Trust me. Being a curvy gal, I could do anything. You know I joked about coming with my own padding to do my own stunts. But, with babies all up in this? I’m taking it slow. I’ve had more veggies in the last nine months than I’ve had in my life. Now, you get into this dress. Scoot scoot.” Savina pushed a sparkly number into Kelly’s arms.

  Kelly looked over the dress. It was the last thing she’d ever want to be seen wearing.

  “How do you even own something this fancy-schmancy?” asked Kelly.

  “Are you serious?” asked Savina, motioning around the decked out boudoir. It was resplendent with white cabinets and shiny silver mirrors, a white shearling sheep rug on the floor that felt like the inside of a warm winter slipper beneath Kelly’s bare toes, and Savina herself was lounging on a blush pink chaise, satin and tufted.

  “You were never into fashion before,” said Kelly, under her breath.

  “I’m not now,” said Savina. “I just stopped fighting Allie and Kai regarding clothing. I know they’re girly-girls, and I’m not, but all relationships have to have some give and some take…even the relationships you don’t pick, like family. And right now, I’m going to need you to get into that dressing area right there and get changed. You’re going to keep Thomas waiting for you at this rate! He’s going to have to wait downstairs in our lobby while you decide on what dress to wear, and I’ll be expected to entertain him!”

  “Fine, I’ll get’r done,” said Kelly, and she walked over to the changing area, separated from the rest of the boudoir with a curtain. Savina’s dress went over her body like a glove over a hand. Although this was nothing like exchanging band t-shirts back in high school, it showed that even with billionaire bear shifters in the mix, some things, well, they didn’t change.

  Kelly walked out. “So…what do you think?”

  “Give me a twirl,” said Savina, and Kelly obliged, but mid-twirl, Kelly caught sight of someone.

  A gal with curves on curves, in a fancy dress, was standing in a doorway. Kelly waved, and the gal waved back, nearly instantaneously. That’s when Kelly then realized that girl in the doorway was her. That was no doorway. That was a mirror.

  Kelly approached the mirror to get a better look at herself. The dress had looked worse on the hanger than it did on her body. Her ample bosom filled out the fabric of the gingham dress’s blue and white floral toile patterned swee
theart top. The pattern turned to gingham in a gradient from flowers to squares from the top of the dress to the bottom. The cap sleeves delicately skirted Kelly’s smooth, soft shoulders. The hem of the dress brushed against the tops of Kelly’s knees, and as she moved, she saw that the outline of her thick thighs were visible through the fabric.

  “The real question is, Kelly, what do you think?” asked Savina.

  “I think…I think it’s okay,” said Kelly.

  “Okay?” asked Savina. “Well, given the time, I’ll take okay. We can’t have Cinderella be late to her own ball, now can we? Speaking of shoes, you’re lucky your heels are in nude. It’ll look okay with the dress. Not what I would’ve picked personally, but…”

  “What you would’ve picked?” asked Kelly, crossing her arms. “I thought Kai was the fashionista in the house?”

  “Well, it’s a big house,” said Savina, narrowing her eyes at Kelly. “Anyways. You’re going to want to put on some nude pantyhose, put your stuff in that denim purse over there, and grab that jacket.”

  “At least it’s a jean jacket,” said Kelly, taking the plain looking fleece-lined denim jacket off of the chair.

  “I’ll put it this way: that jacket’s not exactly from the seed and feed in town,” said Savina.

  Kelly looked at the label of the jacket. It was a famous French luxury brand.

  “You’re kidding,” said Kelly. “This is too fancy for me to wear!”

  “If you don’t wear the ten thousand dollar jean jacket, who will?” asked Savina, rubbing her belly. “That thing won’t button over me in this state! Somebody’s gotta wear it before it’s out of style.”

  A rap at the door interrupted the curvy gals’ banter.

  “You gals having fun?” asked a tall blonde with broad shoulders, a white button-up shirt drenched in sweat, and a pair of jeans that Kelly thought were too tight to be American. It was Herb Scoville, the de facto patriarch of the Mesquite Manor…at least when Grandpa Scoville wasn’t around to whip his grandsons into shape.

  “Tons,” said Savina. “It’s so great to get to look at all the clothes I can’t fit into right now while drinking rabbit food…oh wait.”